Watched/Read July 2015
Things got pretty busy in work this month so there isn’t a whole lot on the list. I only watched 8 movies all month! Pretty sure that’s a record for me.
Movies
Terminator Genisys
This and Jurassic World are both sequels that came out this year that were terrible but in different ways. TG was dull and pointless but at least had some level of consistency and seemed like it was given a polish by someone who actually knows how to construct a script. JW has more dumb fun moments but is way too inconsistent and unfocused to be able to pay any of it off. They both needed to learn a little from each other, if this had a little more crazy and JW had a little more focus they both could have been a lot better. At the very least more watchable.
Minions
I’ve forgotten a lot of this but I remember it being kinda fun. They’re minions. If you like them you’ll like this.
Termintor Salvation
I went back to re-watch this after watching Genisys and I kinda like it. Or maybe I just appreciate it. It has problems but I really like that it’s not just trying to be T2 again like all the other sequels. I wish they did more stuff like this where there’s no time travel or a bunch of Arnies everywhere and it’s just telling it’s own story. They should do more sequels like this and even go further and not even bother with the Conor family.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Speaking of sequels that nobody likes…I only saw this once before on a plane a few years ago. Also not that bad! There’s defiantly some bad stuff in here (I don’t think the fridge is that bad either. Sue me). I heard someone say that the films worst problems come from Spielberg ignoring his own instincts to pander to fans. Maybe they have a point but also maybe a lot of stuff is Lucas’s fault.
Ant Man
Loved it! So refreshing to have something so small (har har) after what Marvel have usually been doing. A friend of mine said he preferred the bigger scale stuff like Winter Soldier but I don’t. I though WS was pretty exciting at the time but then they just went back on everything. What’s the point of destroying SHEILD and having Nick Fury go into hiding if he can just show up in a helicarrier two movies later? I get that it’s a comic and that the basic rule is that nothing really changes but don’t waste my time by pretending that stuff is actually changing if it isn’t. Anyway, that’s the benefit of keeping the stakes small, it doesn’t matter if they’re bullshit! That might come off as kinda cynical but I also like this movie for being sweet and funny and having unique action scenes and doing what Marvel does best in terms of how well is deals with character.
Inside Out
This is not just the best movie Pixar has done, not just one of the best movies I’ve seen so far this year but one of the greatest movies I have ever seen full stop. I think it’s a masterpiece. For a while now I’ve believed that the line between intelligence and genius is in the difference between being able to understand something vs. being able to explain it. If that’s the case than this is a legitimate work of genius, something that takes something complex (emotions) says something incredibly smart about it (the importance of sadness) and not only makes it accessible but makes it accessible to children all the while being a funny, tragic, exciting and entertaining piece of cinema.
There’s already stories out there about how watching this movie has completely changed and improved the way some people are able to talk to their kids about their emotions. I’ve heard stories about people that had a full on existential crises watching this. People that completely changed the way they think after watching this. It’s even been helping adults work out the way they think and process their emotions.
If art is about making an impression on someone then the highest form of art has the power to change how someone thinks for the better and how they relate to themselves and the world. ‘Inside Out' can do that, it has done that and the world is all the better for it existing.
Lava
This is the short that played before ‘Inside Out’. It’s an absolute piece of fucking shit. It’s awful. I don’t know what the hell they were thinking. Blue Umbrella was pretty bad, I don’t even know what the fuck this was supposed to be.
Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation
I loved the hell out of the last MI and this is about on par with it. There’s nothing here as good as the Dubai sequence but it’s a better overall movie and some amazingly well done action in it. Between this, Fury Road and Furious 7 we were pretty spoiled for great action filmmaking this year. Real top tier stuff. I honestly don’t know why people complain so much about the state of movies these days. People are dumb. Some of the best stuff came out this year.
Books/Comics
Screenwriting 101 - Filmcrithulk
I already wrote about this book (here) but I ended up reading it again (for the 3rd or 4th time, I lost track). It’s great, I love it and there’s there’s loads of great stuff in here I feel is worth revisiting.
Nimona - Noelle Stevenson
This is a great little comic written and drawn by Noelle Stevenson. It’s about a spunky girl who can shape-shift and decides she’s going to be a villains sidekick. I’m not going to reveal any more about the plot but it’s funny and sweet and I love the art style. Highly recommended.
I Should Just Not - Britt Hayes
I picked this up because it’s written by a film critic whose work I like a lot. It’s a book about a year in her life where she was single and ends up going on a run of really bad dates. It’s at times funny, at times kinda scary, and depending on who you are might even be pretty revealing. You can read it in one sitting and you could do much worse.
